


promise

by Twice_before_Friday



Series: Altered & Extended - season 1 [2]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Episode: s01e02 Annihilator, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twice_before_Friday/pseuds/Twice_before_Friday
Summary: When Malcolm wakes up in the hospital after being bitten by the snake, he is not alone.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell
Series: Altered & Extended - season 1 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1557952
Comments: 20
Kudos: 209





	promise

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to think the team didn't just dump him at the hospital and leave him alone. Maybe Dani stayed to make sure he was okay.

_What’s in this?_

_Wh-what drugs did you give me?_

_I need to be able to wake up._

_I need to be able to wake up._

_What did you give me!?!?_

\-----

  
“Bright?” Dani rushed into the hospital room and quickly took in the scene before her. The room was dim, lit only by the borrowed glow from the streetlights outside, but she could easily make out Malcolm, pitched forward in the bed, struggling with the nurse who was making a valiant effort to keep him from ripping out his IV. She jumped in immediately, moving to the opposite side of the bed and grabbing Malcolm’s right hand.

“You can’t sedate me! I need to wake up!” Malcolm was screaming and thrashing and still trying to get at the IV, despite Dani and the nurse holding his hands firmly apart.

“Bright! You need to calm down,” Dani yelled, trying to get Malcolm to hear her over his own shouting. “You’re in the hospital, you’re safe.” She tried to get through, but Malcolm didn’t seem entirely aware of what he was doing or what was happening around him.

The nurse leaned over to hit the call button as well as the light switch on the wall behind the bed, and her divided attention was all Bright needed to yank his hand free from her grasp. He brought the back of his hand to his mouth and bit down on the tubing, jerking his head hard to the side and ripping the IV out of his hand. 

“Oh my God,” The nurse cried, hurrying over to the supplies cart to grab some gauze to stop the blood that was spurting in a thin stream from his hand.

“Jesus, Bright, what the hell?” Dani called out, struggling to grab a hold of both of Bright's wrists. Now that the IV had been removed, Bright was no longer putting up a fight, just breathing heavily and swaying slightly where he sat.

With the light on, Dani could see how glassy Malcolm’s eyes were. She recognized that look. He was flying high. 

The nurse was applying pressure to his hand, but he kept absently trying to pull his arm away. He didn’t seem to be aware he was even doing it as he stared off into space, whispering “I need to wake up” and “What did you give me?” over and over.

With every blink of his eyes it seemed harder and harder for him to drag them open them again. Dani watched as his head would loll forward and he would immediately jerk it back up, peeling his eyes open as wide as he could, fighting sleep with every ounce of his will.

“Bright. Bright, look at me,” she said, gently placing her hand on his cheek and turning his face towards her. He flinched slightly and muttered “s'cold” but let her angle his head to the side. It took a few slow blinks before he seemed to recognize her and then he offered her a dopey smile.

“Dani. What're you doin here?” he slurred. His head started drooping in her hand, eyes closing as he listed towards her. It was a slow-motion tip, but he ended up with his head resting on her shoulder, her hand still cupping his face. She looked over to the nurse with eyebrows drawn and a confused shake of the head.

“He was given an extremely heavy dose of sedative,” she answered the unasked question. “I don’t even understand how he’s conscious right now.” She used the opportunity of Malcolm's unexpected nap to lift the gauze and check the damage to his hand. It was only sluggishly bleeding at this point, so she went to grab some tape and cotton and bandaged up the wound.

Dani decided to maneuver Bright back into a reclining position, but as soon as his head hit the bed his eyes shot open and he was reaching for the IV once more.

“The IV is out,” she said, keeping her voice calm but firm as she steadied his hands. “Can you tell me what the problem is, Bright?”

He looked over at her with wide eyes and she could see the scared kid that Gil had told them about. She could tell he was confused and afraid and, despite how strange and aggravating she found him, it tugged at her heart. She pursed her lips and gave into the urge to gently brush the hair back from his face, huffing out a breath as he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

“No sedatives,” he whispered. “I have to be able to wake up.”

“No, Bright, you have to sleep.”

“They trap me,” he said, looking up at her with watery eyes. “I can’t get out. The night terrors. They just go on and on and on and I can’t get out.” His breathing was speeding up again so Dani jumped in before he could get any more agitated.

“Shhh, it’s okay. I’ll make sure they don’t give you any more sedatives, okay?” She thought how terrible it must be to be so afraid of sleeping, when for most people it was such a welcome reprieve.

“Promise?” It was such a little kid thing to say, and Dani smiled warmly at him, she continued running her hand soothingly through his hair, his eyelids flickering closed with every pass of her hand.

“Promise.” 


End file.
